Team Oman Air steady in second as Extreme Sailing Series season reaches its Mexican showdown

A further day of changeable conditions in Los Cabos produced some dramatic highs and lows which saw all three of the leading teams post mixed results in the competitive fleet of high-speed foiling catamarans.

Oman Air in fact went back to the top of the leaderboard thanks to their second place in the day’s first race and the previous day’s multiple winner Alinghi finishing in an unexpected last position.

However, the defending Swiss champions bounced back with another string of race victories at the Mexican resort venue to hold a 12-point lead over Oman Air after three of four days, with overall season leaders SAP Extreme Sailing Team a further four points back.

“We are shooting for the top spot and goal number one for us is to beat Alinghi and win the event,” said Greenhalgh, a veteran and previous winner of the Extreme Sailing Series.

“That’s going to be the focus tomorrow - we are looking to do our own thing, go out and have a good day, hopefully win the event and see how it unfolds behind us.”

And he added: “Having Alinghi 12 points ahead of us is significant, but they were six ahead this morning and that disappeared in one race. So tomorrow there is the double-points race and we will probably get more races in, so it will be all on.”

Al Mashari, another veteran of the globe-trotting series that began the 2017 season in Muscat way back in March, shares a similar view: “The boat is going well and we are sailing well, hopefully our time will come tomorrow, the final day of the Los Cabos Act and the whole season.

“Today was another very tricky day and at times we sailed really well, but Alinghi were sailing exceptionally well. Spirits are good, the team is happy – we just need a few more things to go our way.”

A win at the Los Cabos Act would seal at least second place in the overall season for Oman Air. For Robertson’s crew to win the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series title season leaders SAP, currently third in Mexico, would have to be pushed down to fourth place. Red Bull Sailing Team, the only realistic candidates for the task, have a 12 point deficit to overcome.